| One of my favorite aquarium fish is the | | | | states: |
| freshwater stingray, particularly the ones of the | | | | Arizona |
| genus Potamotrygon. This fish is not for the | | | | Arkansas |
| beginning hobbyist but if you have some | | | | California |
| experience this is a fascinating animal. There are | | | | Florida |
| many species of stingrays in the wild but you will | | | | Georgia |
| find just a few species for sale in any local fish | | | | Hawaii |
| store. You can get a wider choice of species | | | | Nevada |
| from specialized breeders online but they are sold | | | | Oklahoma |
| by their common names. Because of this, I will | | | | Texas |
| not use the scientific names in this article. | | | | Utah |
| Stingrays are very sensitive to water parameters. | | | | This is a general guide to classify Stingrays: |
| They have relatively large kidneys and they | | | | Large-Eyed |
| produce a lot of ammonia, so make sure you | | | | Black Rays |
| have adequate filtration. The type of aquarium | | | | Tiger Ray |
| you keep them in very important since they stay | | | | Motoro Ray |
| at the bottom nearly all the time, a tank with a | | | | Mantilla Ray |
| large bottom area is the best, instead of a taller | | | | Otorongo Ray |
| more narrow tank. Rays get quite large so a tank | | | | Chocolate Ray |
| for an adult specimen must be at least 4 feet by | | | | There are a number of Rays being sold as |
| 2 feet, the height can be 2 feet. They are from | | | | "Teacup" rays while this should be used to |
| tropical locations and should have a temperature | | | | determine the size of the ray. |
| of around 75° to 80° F. The PH must | | | | Small-Eyed Rays |
| be maintained at a range between 6.5 to 6.75 and | | | | China Ray |
| keep the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) below 200. | | | | Antenna Ray |
| When buying a new Stingray, stay away from | | | | Coly Ray |
| the specimens that have a "curled" disc,this is | | | | Ceja Ray |
| called the "death curl" since any stingray showing | | | | Manzana Ray |
| it will surely die soon. A healthy ray always keeps | | | | Be wary when considering good tank-mates for |
| the disc margin flat to the substrate, except | | | | these fish. Stingrays are usually not aggressive |
| when actively moving about the tank. Some | | | | towards bigger fish but don't mix them with |
| people speculate that this is due to kidney failure | | | | something they can eat since I have lost a few |
| from over exposing the animal to high levels of | | | | tetras, shrimp and even some cory catfishes. In |
| ammonia (like when in transit). Other possible signs | | | | the other hand I have had plecos that attach |
| of sickness are: | | | | themselves to the rays, mostly annoying them |
| - a cloudy or milky film covering the body | | | | but in some cases injuring them. |
| - rapid breathing or panting while at rest | | | | Feeding is probably the hardest part of ray |
| - open sores | | | | keeping. When you first buy them is sometimes |
| - showing the pelvic bones, rays in good health | | | | hard to get them to start eating and here is |
| should not show this bones. | | | | when I have lost most of my rays. I have found |
| Make sure its legal to keep Stingrays in your | | | | that they like squid, earth worms (still wriggling) |
| state, some require special permits and some | | | | and raw red meat. Feed them at least twice per |
| times they are restricted to educational or | | | | day. |
| research facilities. Here is a list of the restricted | | | | |